New Beginnings
by silva2010
Summary: This is the first time I'm posting anything so I'm sorry for any mistakes (I don't have a beta), or any liberties I took with the characters and their personalities. So I don't own them, they're property of Joss Whedon, right? and so is the show (I guess). Only if I get interest with the story will I then continue to add. It's a surprise. :)
1. Chapter 1

The fight with the First had been gruesome and there had been a lot of loss. Not just one the First's evil side, ubervamps and also vampires, as Buffy looked around to what was left of her family.

Dawn seemed to have grown up so much after the passing of their mother, so more mature. She was going to be such a beautiful young lady, someone she would be so proud of.

Xander had lost so much. The woman he still loved and lost to their latest fight and the hardest for him, so much harder than losing an eye.

Willow, Willow had gone through so much too. Wicca, computers and the gayness. She came out stronger in the end. 'Still my big gun' Buffy thought with a smile as she looked at her friend cuddling to her girlfriend. Buffy had a feeling that once they had found accommodation it would be awhile till she saw everyone, huddled together on the bus on the way to a new place.

The Hellmouth was finished, Buffy from the back could hear a small group talking about heading to Cleveland as another Hellmouth awaited them.

Giles driving was the last thing she had seen before she closed her eyes, she had been so tired back down at the Hellmouth. Seeing everything collapsing all around her as Spike stood there telling her he loved her, she knew he was going to die but her family and friends had left and she needed to make sure everyone had gotten back to the bus alive. That's what had kept her going when the school had been falling, after every jump of every building until she finally landed on top of the bus. The scythe still tight in her hand. Its power still running through her body.

This time her dreams weren't filled with terror and fear as only void remained, her body slowly healing as she slept. Not realizing that everyone around was too keyed up wanting to know where they were going, if they were going to stop for more supplies or just keep going till they found a place to crash to last a few days.

She slowly opened her eyes and she felt someone shaking her awake, calling her name.

"What is it?" she asked groggily, her voice husky from being asleep for what felt like minutes, arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if to keep herself warm.

"What are we going to do, Buffy?" Dawn asked her quietly, her face still smudged with dust and whatnot from the fighting that had gone on at the school.

Buffy hadn't even thought about what was going to happen after, they could probably head to Los Angels for awhile. Either that or start looking for the new Slayer that had been awakened during the spell to make every potential into a Slayer. Get a new Council set up and running. Set up a training/school ground for the new Slayers and distribute them to Hellmouths and high paranormal places that might draw nasties to it. 'Giles could help with most of that. Specially with the Old Council being gone.' Buffy thought trying to keep the ice from her thoughts to show on her face.

"Dawn, I can't keep making decisions for everyone." Buffy said softly no blame or accusation in her voice.

Dawn winced as she remembered how she was one of the people that had kicked her own sister out of the house, Her Own Sister.

"But we can talk about it after we arrive … wherever we're suppose to arrive?" Buffy asked still quietly, almost a whisper. She loosened her hands to reach for her sister's.

She saw Dawn nod her head and turned to go back, leaving her sister to try and get a little more sleep.

Buffy again looked at all the girls that had survived, she was glad she had been wrong about Faith and she was glad she had stayed with them even after they had stopped the bus after Sunnydale was... she was still surprised over Spike, how he just...

"You're awake." Willow said surprised, a small smile playing on her lips.

Buffy looked up, she hadn't even heard footsteps heading her way. 'Wow, I'm such a great Slayer. Can't even hear someone heading my way. Must be more tired than I thought.' Buffy shrugged mentally the thought off.

"Yeah. I meant to tell you something before." Buffy said her voice still a little husky from being woken up a few minutes ago. Her eyes looking at the seat next to her, cluing her friend to sit down but then looked at the seat her best friend had vacated and saw Kennedy looking back for a moment.

"Probably wondering where you gone off to." Buffy said about Kennedy.

"It's ok." She looked at Kennedy and then sat down, relaxing next to her best friend.

There was a little silence, as Willow waited and Buffy just tried to organize the thoughts in her head, the memories and emotions of these last couple of months.

"Buffy?"

"I wanted to tell you I knew you could do it. The spell? I know these past few years with me, haven't been easy for you and there was moments I wanted to take back but I hope that you don't regret sticking by me." 'There was a few things I wouldn't mind taking back. All the pain it caused meeting me.' Buffy thought darkness filling her thoughts but continued "Also hope you found happiness because that's all I want for you."

Willow looked at her, shock in her eyes. After seven years and Buffy still surprised her.

"Thank you, Buffy. Hope that isn't a goodbye." Willow said worried, as her eyes still showed her surprise at her friends' words.

"Of course not." Buffy said surprising her friend again, as she reached Willow and held her in her arms for a hug.

Despite the surprise and shock hadn't worn off, again this behavior just seemed to add to it.

"Are you alright? You seem different." Willow couldn't help but ask Buffy. In years they had known each other only in moments of impending doom or apocalypse did Buffy ever seem to hug or even say such things.

Buffy let her friend go, so she could look at her in the eyes. She had never felt so free. She wasn't the Chosen One anymore, or one of the Chosen Two as Faith had liked to called them years ago.

They were going to need to prepare a plan for what would happen next but all she knew was that it wasn't going to fall on her shoulders anymore, she didn't need to keep fighting by herself. She had felt so alone before, even after Faith. The talk they had had before in her room was right, Faith being Faith didn't get right to the point but she had been right. Despite the jealousy, they had both been lonely.

"I feel fine. Just got a lot to work through. Do you have any idea where we're headed?" Buffy asked quietly and felt eyes again on her. She looked away and caught Kennedy again turning away, and continued "You better get going. Someone's getting antsy."

Willow saw the direction of Buffy's gaze and said "She just feels really protective. Slayer being protective, hm sounds familiar." Willow finished with a smile and got off the seat to head towards her waiting girlfriend, she turned back and said "I'm not sure where we're heading, you better talk to Giles."

Buffy waited until her best friend sat down, got up and headed towards her former Watcher. Slowly, one step at a time. She looked at Dawn seating with one of the new slayers and smiled. Her sister wasn't the only one that was taking care of the injured slayers. She walked by Xander, seeing him down sat by himself and wondered if he was going to be alright. She shook her head and also saw Andrew sat by himself.

She finally arrived by the driver's side and looked at Giles, the closest thing to a father figure she had and so much more than a retired librarian.

"So, Giles. What now?" she asked going straight to the point, standing proud even if still a little injured.


	2. Chapter 2

"Buffy. Don't you think we should wait until everyone is settled and had some proper rest?" Giles asked trying to avoid this conversation with his former charge. He could see that in a way she didn't need him anymore but in the eyes of a parent the child never grew up, didn't matter if they weren't related by blood because after everything they had been through and even after he was fired by sticking with her and wanting to protect her, he was more than her real father. He would continue doing so.

"Giles? Where are we going?" Buffy said quietly, moving side to side when the bus kept turning. She looked around and didn't recognize the sights. It didn't mean much, except with how tired she was she couldn't put too much stock in her recognition skills. Days could have gone and she only hoped she could get some sleep and probably sort out what would happen next, Giles would help with most of that. The organization of the new Council and the selection, training and relocation of the Slayers. She could hope Willow and Xander could be involved in all of that. As for Faith, she looked at the girl that had just crossed her mind and saw her tending to Wood, she wouldn't be leaving that any time soon.

"I was thinking maybe L.A? We could ask Angel for a few rooms, so we didn't have to go separate ways so quickly." Giles wondered out loud, and quickly glanced at Buffy to see her reaction. He'd known straight off what she thought of that idea. She had told him about his visit. When he had given the amulet.

"Because there aren't any safe houses from the Council. C'mon Giles, Travers was well connected. The Old Council could well deport someone out of the country. So they had power and money. Lots of it." Buffy said quietly, almost getting a little antsy.

Buffy waited while Giles drove and took that into consideration. She knew it was quite possible to do everything they could to give the new Slayers spread over the world a safe place, a new way to train them without the dictatorship of the Old Council.

"Maybe it is possible with Willow's computer skills, they should have security systems in place for any causalities. But don't forget that the Old Council was mostly destroyed by the agents of the First." Giles reminded her, his British accent also reminding her that a time long ago he had belonged to the group.

After a small silence in the conversation, where the only thing that could be heard was the slayers softly talking to each other and she knew that if she wanted she could hear exactly what was being said, being a slayer wasn't without its perks, its a shame that until then one of the perks didn't involve reaching past 30. Dying young had been a certainty.

"Do you have any idea where we can go? A place where money won't be a problem, most of us don't have any. You know thinking of it, why didn't the Council ever paid me for this job? Isn't being alone and separate of family and friends, dying young enough?" Buffy asked a teasing smile on her last few questions. Not really waiting for a serious answer.

"It's not like you did any of that, Buffy. Except dying. But you're right, we have to figure this out before we ran out of gas. Some of those girls won't be able to walk the distance." Giles said with a small smile, made things a little lighter between them. It wouldn't make everything better but it was a step in the right direction.

Buffy looked at the road ahead for a minute and turned back to the driver's side "I'm going back to my seat and let you drive and think about our situation. Let me know when we arrive." Buffy asked softly, waiting for some kind of response from Giles.

He simply nodded his head and glanced her way as she turned around and walked back to the back of the bus.

She sat down on her seat, resting the wound she had mostly just forgotten about. Knowing that jumping from building to building and into a moving bus had definitely not helped but the bleeding had stopped and she wasn't hurting as much as she had when she had first gotten it, when the pain of it made her slowly fall on the hard ground in that dark cave, the taunting comments of the First in her head as she had struggled to get up. It was the First that made her mad enough to want to get up and kick it's ass. She had seen the potential turning into Slayers when she had laid on the ground, one moment she had been staring at the victory in her own face and the next everything had changed. She would have to thank Willow for that. She'd have to talk to Willow too, not just Giles.

She leaned her head on the window as she looked through the glass but didn't take anything in, everything had changed. She could now think about leading something close to a normal life which before wasn't even possible. Faith was right, she wasn't the chosen one anymore.

She closed her eyes a smile on her face.

"Buffy, wake up. We're here." a smooth voice woke her, feeling something shake her awake.

Buffy groggily opened her eyes, "Did I fall asleep?"

The eyes that looked back at her, she recognized instantly, her eyes opening wide. Instantly on alert.

"You fell asleep. We're here."

Buffy looked around, a feeling of familiarity almost deja vu going through her.

"I've been here but I don't recognize it." Buffy said confused and immediately got up on her feet, she looked around again and shed a tear.

"You're home."

Buffy looked at the face she had lost what felt like minutes ago.

"What am I doing here?" Buffy asked still having no idea she could possibly be back again, not alone.

"I had to bring you here. I have a message for you. It's not over. You're needed again."


End file.
